Los Angeles County fires emphasize importance of disaster preparedness, including "go bags"
With the recent wildfires in Southern California forcing tens of thousands of people to evacuate their homes, firefighters and emergency preparedness specialists in the Bay Area want to make sure you are ready in case disaster strikes.
"You've got a water straw. This water straw is going to filter water, because you don't know what the quality of water is going to be like. You're going to have lots of food. Food that you're going to want to eat. This is food that I eat normally," Randy Kelly, a volunteer with Concord Police's CERT program, told CBS News Bay Area.
He demonstrated what goes into a "stay box" and an emergency "go bag." Kelly said you should have essential items, like food, water, medicine, clothes, towels, pet food, important documents and money on hand.
Kelly, along with other CERT volunteers, teaches classes on how to prepare and respond during natural disasters. CERT stands for Community Emergency Response Team. There are about six year-long courses that you have to take in order to be certified. Volunteers also provide you with equipment throughout the training.
"Hygiene is a very important thing right? You're going to have your toilet paper, you're going to have your wipes," Kelly said as he prepared a "stay box."
"Photos of your pets. This is something that's really important. Because if your pet runs away, how are you going to be able to prove that that's your pet if you go to an animal shelter?" he added.
Kelly, a longtime resident of Concord, was inspired to volunteer because he wanted to help out in his community.
"I think as you get older, you start looking outward. And there's just a lot of different things that you can do," he said.
Wildland Battallion Chief Tom Zurflueh of the Contra Costa County Fire Protection District said it's important to have supplies that will last at least three days, including masks, battery packs and portable chargers.
"It's imperative that everyone should have one of these. Especially living in California and the area that we are. The interface between the nice vegetation that we have here and the beautiful scenery, mixed with the wet, warm weather, the dry conditions, the high likelihood of fire is great," Zurflueh said.
"Life or death, because what we saw down in Southern California, the infrastructure was impacted. There could be a lack of drinking water, could be hard to get to that supply chain might be down. So to be able to be self dependent is very important to have," he added.
The wildland battallion chief also said that residents should make sure that they are signed up for the community warning system, that alerts residents to evacuate during any disasters. Additionally, Zurflueh said neighbors should be extra vigilant to red flag warnings.
As for Kelly, he said they have been getting a lot more inquiries about how to register for alerts after witnessing the horrific wildfires across Los Angeles County.
"I think more and more we're becoming more sensitive. Whether it's because we're more aware of it or the frequency," he said.
And so Kelly hopes that he can encourage more families to be better prepared, as a "stay box" and a "go bag" really do go a long way.
More information on what can be found in a "go bag" is available here.